At Aberdeen Foyer we believe every young person has hidden talents, skills, interests, hopes and aspirations for the future. At Foyer Futures we help young people to think creatively about the lives they want for themselves, removing barriers to progress and developing the skills they need for creating their own positive future. We engage and support young people, using practical youth centered approaches and tools, working one-to-one, taking time to listen, build relationships and encourage and motivate their aspirations and engagement with training and learning opportunities.

About the Role

As Development Coach for Engage, you will be responsible for managing a caseload of young people, making a difference to their lives. You will be responsible for organising and delivering a bespoke educational service, based on the needs and aspirations of young people. Working alongside young people and ensuring young people's wellbeing is assessed and monitored using SHANARRI indicators, you will support and engage with young people who are facing difficulties in their lives and have disengaged, providing young people with the best outcomes for learning and later life. Through questionnaires, games and tool kits, young people are encouraged to think creatively about their education and make the link between learning outcomes now and the impact on their future aspirations. We ensure that young people are included, engaged and involved through the 4 stages of our work:

• Getting Young people through the door – We acknowledge the barriers young people may face and are persistent in our approach to engaging young people on our programme. To enable engagement, we aim to alleviate any challenges through for example, providing transport or covering the cost of travelling for young people.
• Settled In – We have created an environment unlike school – we take an informal approach that encourages trusted relationships; providing food and a cuppa; offer a choice of activities, a gentle introduction, aimed at engaging and getting to know the young person.
• Ready to Learn – Incremental achievements are important to sustaining engagement and we offer range of accredited learning opportunities that can be achieved quickly. The aim is to enable young people to make a positive link between education/learning and their future aspirations. When restrictions allow, we also offer work experience placements, employer visits and taster sessions, which can help to highlight the relevance of their learning on future employment opportunities.
• Fulfilling Potential – This comes naturally as a result of achieving the first 3 stages. Relationships are built, opportunities beyond our service are identified and engaged with, confidence is increased and aspirations are realised. Young people have had space to be kind to themselves and feel hopeful about their future.

Why? To prevent and mitigate the impact of tough life challenges on young people

What? Co-create bespoke educational services with YP aged 12-25 years, based on their needs and aspirations to develop skills for learning, life and work

Key Competencies

• Work with young people to understand barriers and coproduce solutions, and progress towards achieving goals which are relevant, realistic, and achievable
• Identify and develop Learning Plans which will enable them to achieve healthy lifestyles and social and economic independence, and ensuring these are continuously monitored and reviewed
• Ensure young people have access to positive and challenging learning experiences, which are well matched to their needs, progress, or attainments and able to support young people to recognise activities which may improve their health and wellbeing
• Able to motivate, encourage and inspire young people to engage with the service and become confident and aware of their aspirations using fun activities including virtual reality gaming, art, cooking, sports etc.
• Work in close collaboration with other Foyer services to coordinate appropriate internal support and opportunities which maximises outcomes for young people
• Ability to liaise with external stakeholders to provide co-ordinated services and opportunities to enable young people to move into positive destinations such as education, training, or employment
• Ability to update, record and monitor progress of caseload, understanding the importance of impact data as source for continuous improvement regularly and accurately

Behaviours

• Ability to rapidly build and sustain meaningful relationships with young people, the team and key stakeholders based on honesty, compassion, and trust
• Models’ inclusive behaviour when interacting with young people, the team and all stakeholders promoting and challenging equality and demonstrates an unwavering belief in young people and their potential
• Appreciates and encourages teamwork and flexibility, equally comfortable working autonomously
• Non-judgemental, person-centred, and empathetic; able to empower young people to improve self-esteem and self-confidence through developing strengths, attributes, and talents
• Proactive; able to engage with young people who are facing difficulties in their lives and have disengaged
• Able to communicate and work with young people using various platforms including but not limited to; social media, innovative digital solutions tailored to young people’s interests to maximise engagement
• Outcomes focussed; ensuring young people's wellbeing is assessed and monitored using SHANARRI indicators
• Passionate about youth choice, youth voice and self-determination enabling young people to be in control of their own lives

Qualifications & Experience

• Experience of working in a specialist area e.g., employability, training, education, youth work or social work, etc.
• Experience working with young people and knowledge of local community resources, education, learning, and social care systems
• Understanding of and/or experience of working within the principles of GIRFEC
• Understanding of the benefits of health and wellbeing and how this impacts a young person’s ability to progress with their learning
• Ability to work autonomously and multi-task
• Excellent organisation and communication skills
• Understanding of and/or experience of working in a multi-agency setting and in partnership with a network of agencies
• Working and theoretical understanding of ACE’s and the impact of trauma
• Membership of the PVG Schemes for Children and Young People and Adults required
• Knowledge and understanding of equalities and diversity from a youth perspective
• Competent digital skills including but not limited to Microsoft Office

About you

The successful candidate will be excellent at engaging with and motivating young people. You will have experience of working with, supporting, and engaging young people on a one-to-one basis. Communication and interpersonal skills are paramount, as we need an individual who will be able to work confidently with a range of partners and young people to deliver this programme. One-to-one mentoring and support are fundamental to the role therefore it is essential that this is delivered in creative and innovative ways that inspire and motivate young people. This is an exciting and challenging role for a highly motivated, dedicated and creative individual who is passionate about helping young people make positive changes in their lives. Aberdeen Foyer are looking for an enthusiastic and driven professional who has the ability to gain the respect and trust of the young people we are looking to support.

Benefits of Working at the Foyer

As well as a warm and welcoming supportive working environment, we offer 20 days annual leave plus 12 public holidays rising to a cumulative 37 days with continued service and a contributary company pension. We consider flexible working for most roles which means many of our employees enjoy the freedom of choosing a working pattern that suits them as much as it suits The Foyer.

We are very proud to be both a Living Wage and a Disability Confident employer. We value our employees’ wellbeing and offer a Cycle to Work scheme, a monthly Wellbeing Hour and a confidential Employee Assistance Programme which is open to employees and their friends and family. We value curiosity and all posts have access to structured induction and ongoing training and learning opportunities.

Our people are our greatest assets. #TeamFoyer provides a safe space for our employees, where everyone can be themselves and feel comfortable bringing their whole self to work.

The Foyer embraces and celebrates diversity and equal opportunity for all. We want to find the best people for the job, ensuring inclusion, diversity and difference is always at the very heart of what we do. We recognise the value a diverse workforce brings to the way we work and the difference we make to the people we support. We are committed to promoting the human rights and dignity of each human being, including equality of opportunity inclusive of sexual orientation, gender or transgender identity, race, colour, age, national origin, disability, religion or belief and socio-economic status, protected veteran status, or other characteristics in accordance with the relevant governing laws.

For those who are suitably qualified, and care experienced, we offer guaranteed interviews.

This role may be subject to holding appropriate PVG Registration and will require a disclosure check which we will arrange with you if successful.

To apply, please submit your CV and cover letter to recruitment@aberdeenfoyer.com

To discuss the role in more detail, please contact Beth Finnigan, Foyer Futures Service Manager by emailing her at: Beth.Finnigan@aberdeenfoyer.com.